The president has reportedly urged Congress to pass $175 billion for border security. But residents of Del Rio, Texas, and Douglas, Arizona, say their basic needs — like safe drinking water and hospital access — aren’t being met.
  • Focused on enforcement: The U.S.-Mexico border receives billions of dollars in government spending for immigration enforcement, while its communities remain among the nation’s poorest places.
  • Unmet needs: In Texas, 30,000 border residents lack access to reliable drinking water. In Arizona, 205,000 people on its border with Mexico are hours from a full-service hospital.
  • Striking contrasts: The region shows a striking disparity between the size of federal and state governments’ investment there and how little it’s reflected in residents’ quality of life.